There are more than 80 different known autoimmune and inflammatory diseases that are characterized by abnormal triggering of an inflammatory response that attacks the host's own organs or tissues.
Examples of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), asthma, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatic fever, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and postviral encephalomyelitis.
There are a number of treatment options for inflammatory diseases including medications, rest and exercise, and surgery. The type of treatment depends on several factors, including the type of disease, the person's age, type of medications he or she is taking, overall health, medical history and severity of symptoms. Common medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen), corticosteroids (such as prednisone), salicylates, antimalarial medications (such as hydroxychloroquine), and other medications including gold, methotrexate, sulfasalazine, penicillamine, cyclophosphamide, infliximab, etanercept and cyclosporine. However, many of the existing treatments have unpleasant side effects and are not effective.
Clearly there is a great need for identification of the molecular basis of inflammatory disease. There is also a need for new, more effective treatments with fewer side effects than the existing treatments.